The present invention is directed to a system and method for fixing a first component with a second component. In its preferred embodiment the present invention is employed to effect assembly of an enclosure. The invention is particularly suitable for enclosures containing a product especially an electrical product.
The invention is a self-locking mechanism or arrangement for making parts for separable enclosures that can be advantageously formed as by stamping using no additional parts other than the blank sheet or sheets from which an enclosure is to be created.
Prior art enclosure structures employ additional parts such as self-clinching hardware that can be press-fitted into one of the pieces to be joined. Examples of such self-clinching hardware are captive PEM nuts and PEM studs provided by Penn Engineering Company. An alternative to such self-clinching hardware is to drill and tap an aperture for threaded engagement by a fastener during assembly of the enclosure. Rivets and loose hardware (e.g. screws and nuts) are still other closure structures encountered in prior art enclosures. Moreover some of the prior art closure structures (e.g. rivets) are difficult to remove so they are an impediment to access to enclosed equipment for service or repair. All such prior art enclosure fabrication techniques require additional materials (e.g. self-clinching nuts) or additional operations (e.g. drilling and tapping) that often create waste material that must be vacated from the finished product-enclosure. For example waste metal tendrils or chips created from drilling and tapping or from installation of some rivets must be eliminated from any enclosure that is to be employed for containing an electrical or electronic product to avoid risk of shorting. Such additional materials and additional operations add cost and complexity to fabrication costs for enclosures.
There is a need for an efficient system and method for enclosing a product that can be fabricated using no additional parts other than a blank sheet or sheets of raw material.
There is a need for a system and method for enclosing a product that is efficient in the operations required for its manufacture.
The invention is a system and method for fixing components of an enclosure that is self-sealing and can be formed using no additional materials other than a blank sheet or sheets. The enclosure is fabricated in at least two parts to establish the resulting enclosure as a separable and reclosable enclosure. The system is embodied in a separable enclosure fabricated of a first component and a second component. Preferably an extruded post or boss is formed with one component of the enclosure and a spring-acting flexible arm structure supporting a receiving slot or latch member is formed with the other component of the enclosure. The structures required for the inventive system can be fabricated in each component during a stamping operation without any need for additional material in the flat stamping pattern. That is there is no requirement for any additional parts hardware or fabrication operations beyond stamping and forming to create the components for the enclosure. The enclosure may be reopened and reclosed several times when fabricated of suitably robust material so long as the spring action incurred by flexible motion of the spring acting flexible arm supporting the latch member operates in the linear range of the material employed for fabricating the enclosure or so long as the stresses in the flexible arm structure do not exceed the yield stress of the material used for fabricating the enclosure when the material is formed to the required geometry.
Thus a system for substantially fixing a first component with a second component includes: (a) a boss member integrally formed from the first component and generally oriented about a boss axis; and (b) a latch member integrally formed from the second component and depending from the second component in a flexible extension. The flexible extension facilitates movement of the latch member generally in an engaging plane. The flexible extension exerts a spring force urging the latch member toward a first position when the latch member is displaced to a second position different from the first position. The spring force exerted by the flexible extension is generally proportional to the magnitude of the deflection experienced by the latch member when moved from the first position to the second position. The latch member is generally oriented about a latch axis in the engaging plane. The latch member is in the first position when the first component and the second component are substantially adjacently situated in an initial position poised for assembly. The latch axis and the boss axis are separated a first distance when the first component and the second component are in the initial position. The latch axis and the boss axis are separated a second distance less than the first distance when at least one of the boss member and the latch member is urged toward the other member of the boss member and the latch member to engage the boss member and the latch member in an installed orientation to establish the fixing with the latch member held in an installed position displaced from the first position by the boss member bearing against the latch member with the engaging plane crossing the boss axis.
A method for substantially fixing a first component with a second component includes the steps of: (a) providing a boss member integrally formed from the first component and generally oriented about a boss axis; the boss axis being generally perpendicular with the first component; (b) providing a latch member integrally formed from the second component and depending from the second component in a spring arm. The spring arm facilitates movement of the latch member generally in an engaging plane. The spring arm exerts a spring force urging the latch member toward a first position when the latch member is displaced to a second position different from the first position. The latch member is generally oriented about a latch axis in the engaging plane; (c) situating the first component and the second component substantially adjacent in an initial position poised for assembly with the engaging plane generally perpendicular with the boss axis; the latch axis and the boss axis being separated a first distance when the first component the second component are in the initial position; and (d) urging at least one of the boss member and the latch member toward the other member of the boss member and the latch member to engage the boss member and the latch member in an installed orientation. The latch axis and the boss axis are separated a second distance less than the first distance when the boss member and the latch member are engaged in the installed orientation to establish the fixing with the latch member held in an installed position displaced from the first position by the boss member bearing against the latch member with the engaging plane crossing the boss axis.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for fixing a first component with a second component that can be fabricated using no additional parts than a blank sheet or sheets.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system and method for fixing a first component with a second component that is efficient in the operations required for its manufacture.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a system and method for fixing a first component with a second component that is useful in fabricating an enclosure for a product.
Further objects and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following specification and claims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like elements are labeled using like reference numerals in the various figures illustrating the preferred embodiments of the invention.